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Residents’ Perception of Informal Green Space—A Case Study of Ichikawa City, Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Minseo Kim

    (Department of Environment Science and Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, Chiba 271-8510, Japan)

  • Christoph D. D. Rupprecht

    (FEAST Project, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto 6038047, Japan)

  • Katsunori Furuya

    (Department of Environment Science and Landscape Architecture, Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, Chiba 271-8510, Japan)

Abstract

Urban green space (UGS) has been proven to be essential for improving the health of residents. Local governments thus need to provide attractive UGS to enhance residents’ wellbeing. However, cities face spatial and finanical limitations in creating and managing UGS. As a result, greening plans often fail or are postponed indefinitely. To evaluate whether informal urban green space (IGS) can supplement existing UGS, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 567 residents in Ichikawa (Japan), a city currently providing only 3.43 m 2 green space per capita. In particular, we analyzed how residents’ existing green space activities affect IGS perception, as it may be difficult to recognize IGS as greenery because it is not an officially recognized space for recreation. Results show that residents took a favorable stance towards IGS, but perception differs depending on their green environment exposure. Residents who are frequently exposed to green environments in their daily lives highly recognized the environmental improvement aspects of IGS and significantly perceived spatial accessibility as an advantage of IGS. Willingness to participate in conservation activities of UGS was linked with a likelihood of recognizing IGS as UGS. Our results encourage understanding IGS as supplementary green space taking into account the attitude of residents to UGS, and contribute to introducing the IGS discourse into green space planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Minseo Kim & Christoph D. D. Rupprecht & Katsunori Furuya, 2018. "Residents’ Perception of Informal Green Space—A Case Study of Ichikawa City, Japan," Land, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:7:y:2018:i:3:p:102-:d:167632
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Richard Smardon, 2020. "Thomas Panagopoulos. Landscape urbanism and green infrastructure," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(2), pages 208-209, June.
    4. Daria Sikorska & Piotr Sikorski & Piotr Archiciński & Jarosław Chormański & Richard J. Hopkins, 2019. "You Can’t See the Woods for the Trees: Invasive Acer negundo L. in Urban Riparian Forests Harms Biodiversity and Limits Recreation Activity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Yiming Liu & Xiangxiang Pan & Qing Liu & Guicai Li, 2023. "Establishing a Reliable Assessment of the Green View Index Based on Image Classification Techniques, Estimation, and a Hypothesis Testing Route," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, May.
    6. Yun Hye Hwang & Ivan Kurniawan Nasution & Deepika Amonkar & Amy Hahs, 2020. "Urban Green Space Distribution Related to Land Values in Fast-Growing Megacities, Mumbai and Jakarta–Unexploited Opportunities to Increase Access to Greenery for the Poor," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-17, June.
    7. Duy Thong Ta & Katsunori Furuya, 2022. "Google Street View and Machine Learning—Useful Tools for a Street-Level Remote Survey: A Case Study in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Ichikawa, Japan," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.

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